All About Tour De France And How To Join

Tour de France has officially started, with cyclists all over the world starting the first leg of the race. Just a few hours in, and there have already been a lot of news, from minor accidents to winning of jerseys! It’s amazing, and it’s intense. If you missed the first part, you can still catch up and watch the Tour de France live stream online!

All About Tour de France

If you aren’t familiar with Tour de France yet, then here are some things you should know about it:

It is a race that lasts for 3 weeks, with only two rest days.

You will be composed of 21 teams with 9 players each, all of you competing for classifications and jerseys before reaching the finish line.

You will be passing throughout different countries of France. And yes, there will be mountains and hills, as well as flat terrains.

You will be racing for points, which can be added or deducted to your team. This all depends on the time you finish, as well as place you get when reaching landmarks.

You are awarded jerseys of different classifications, based on the amount of points you have or time you reach a landmark.

It is a whopping 3,500 km, with each day covering about 6 hours of cycling and 225 km a day around France.

How to Join Tour de France

To join Tour de France is no easy task. Here are some things you can do to possibly join the event:

It is an invitation only basis, where they will invite teams from all over the world. Look for UCI teams, as they are the ones usually invited.

You will have to have a license to race, as well as be of age (usually 18 years old).

Wow the team with your cycling skills and sign up. Once you are in, you will have to train and hope that you will be chosen as one of the 9 who will end up participating in the event.

How to Train For Tour de France

Training for Tour de France is almost as difficult as joining the event itself! Here are some of the stories from real cyclists:

Cyclists bike for 6 hours a day through steep hills and tough terrains, fluctuating intensity in order to build endurance.

They have a strict diet that composes of a lot of protein to build muscle and maintain their weight.

They go through weight exercises that compose of planks and squats to further strengthen their muscles.

In Conclusion

If you are just finding out about Tour de France now and are keen on joining it, we warn you that it’s tough. Not only is the race intense, but the process of joining is difficult as well. It will take a lot of time, money and effort. That being said, you’ll need to have the dream and determination to keep going until you get to be one of the elite cyclists joining such a prestigious event.